Living in Frohnau, Berlin
WG-Zimmer Living in Frohnau, Berlin - direkt von privat, ohne Makler - Berlin
At the far north of Berlin, a garden city from 1910: villas, tree-lined streets and forest all around. Genteel and very quiet, but far from the center.
Frohnau is the far north of Berlin, within the Reinickendorf district, and it feels like another city. It was born in 1908-1910 as the Gartenstadt Frohnau, a garden city commissioned by the industrialist Guido Henckel von Donnersmarck: villas, tree-lined streets, gardens everywhere and forest all around. The heart is the two twin squares Zeltinger Platz and Ludolfingerplatz, joined by the bridge under which the S-Bahn passes, with the art nouveau tower of the Casino from 1910. The atmosphere is genteel, very quiet, almost village-like.
Who lives here
Affluent German families, mature professionals, long-established retirees, the odd diplomat. It's a bourgeois, residential neighborhood: very few young people, little single life, no student scene. Those who choose Frohnau are after calm, space and greenery, not nightlife.
What it's like during the day
By day it's silent and orderly. You walk among villas and well-kept hedges, head to the market and the shops around Zeltinger Platz, and easily set out toward the woods and little lakes of the north. Nearby is the Buddhistisches Haus, one of the oldest Theravada Buddhist centers in Europe, set in greenery and open to visit. It's a place for strolling and breathing, not for crowds.
What it's like in the evening
In the evening Frohnau shuts down early. The odd restaurant and Kneipe around the central squares, then silence. No nightspots, no clubs: for a real night out you head down toward the center. It's exactly what its residents are after, but it's worth knowing.
Getting around
The backbone is the S-Bahn S1 (Frohnau station), which takes you to the center passing by Gesundbrunnen and Friedrichstraße, from one terminus to the other between Oranienburg and Wannsee. On weekdays and during the day the service is reinforced by the S85 line. The 125 and 220 buses round it out, plus the N20 night bus. There's no U-Bahn or tram. Honestly: the center is far, count on a good half hour and more by train.
Eating and shopping
For everyday shopping there are supermarkets, bakeries and the odd shop around Zeltinger Platz, plus the neighborhood shops of the garden city. The food offering is limited and quiet: a handful of restaurants, cafés and village places. For a wide choice you go elsewhere.
When NOT to pick it
If you study, work in the center or want nightlife, forget it: the distance and commuting times weigh every day. It's not a neighborhood for those after low cost or young sociability. In the evening too the isolation is felt.
Frohnau is the right pick if you put calm and greenery before everything and you're not put off by the commute: a corner of small houses and silence at the far north, far from the chaos, for those who really want to switch off.